Illinois Senate
passes gambling expansion

In the final hours of the legislative session,
the Illinois Senate passed the casino gambling bill.

In
a race to beat the clock, Sens. Michael Bond, Linda Holmes, Dan
Kotowski and Michael Noland, all voted for the expansion, giving
it the minimum 30 votes needed to pass the State Senate.

The proposal calls for three riverboat casino
licenses to be authorized for Waukegan, the South suburbs, and
some point within an eight-mile radius of O'Hare Airport. The
gambling law would also allow expansion of the already existing
casinos in the state.

The bill still needs to pass the House, where
experts say it has little to no chance of passing.